The executive sushi chef at Marssa at Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort, Fujita teaches SushiSkool for Kids ($25) at 3 p.m. every first, third and fourth weekend and Sushi and Sake School for adults ($50) on select dates through 2009 (contact Loews for details).

Chef Osamu "Fuji" Fujita teaches SushiSkool for kids (above) and Sushi and Sake School for adults at Marssa at Loews Lake Las Vegas.

Fujita is the only sushi chef in the United States to receive a recognition of acheivement from the Japanese Chefs Association. Personable and knowledgeable, he comes from a long line of prestigious chefs.

In his classes, Fujita shares little known sushi-making tips like dipping fish in iced green tea to eliminate the fishy smell. You will also learn some of the ins and outs of sushi etiquette. For instance, did you know that stabbing your chopsticks into a bowl of rice is bad luck? (And to think you’d been blaming it on all those broken mirrors and black cats).

Speaking of chopsticks, if, like me, you happen to be a complete spaz at using them, Marssa can provide students with easier-to-use starter chopsticks. Or you can forego the chopsticks altogether. Sushi is known, afterall, as the original finger food.

Some sushi fast facts:

The two most popular varieties of sushi are Nigiri and Maki

Wasabi, or green Japanese horseradish, is intended to make the fishy taste of sushi disappear by momentarily paralyzing the mouth

Freshwater fish should not be eaten raw in sushi due to the possibility of parasite content

Fresh fish has a mild characteristic odor but should not smell too strong, and never “fishy”